Dauphin Island Pier

Dateca. 2012

Maker Ruth Robinson (b. December 8, 1952)

MediumAcrylic on wood

DimensionsOverall: 34 1/2 × 38in. (87.6 × 96.5cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase [This work is copyrighted. Please see Registrar before use.]

Object number2020.101.3,A&B

DescriptionScene of various people fishing off of a pier. At the center of the pier is a small red building. The water in the foreground is made up of blue, green, and white waves and the sky is painted in sunset. The frame was made by the artist from reclaimed wood taken from an old ice house located near the pier.Label TextRuth Robinson was born in 1952 in south Alabama on the farm where her grandfather and his brothers were sharecroppers. She began painting at an early age but a house fire destroyed all of her works and hse put her paints and brushes away for 34 years before picking it back up again when she became a caregiver to her elderly parents. She often painted pictures based on the stories were parents told her and the memories that those stories brought back.

Robinson painted "Dauphin Island Pier" in 2012 and framed it herself with salvaged wood she collected from an old ice house near the pier. The pier was a favorite fishing spot for locals and she would often go there with her husband to fish. The old fishing pier still exists but sadly, is no longer functional. Bernice and her husband recall the water under the pier being 20 feet deep but today there is no water below.